Last week, I went on a trip for one of my best friend’s weddings in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. With only a few days worth of time down there, I knew I had little chance to venture out of the resort area to take pictures. I had thoughts (read: dreams) of going to the nearby national park: Parque Nacional del Este, and even grander dreams of going further north to a park near Semana, but it really was not feasible.

So, I took an afternoon to myself to hike down the coast near our resort, in search of some inspiration in the calm of the Caribbean. I tried to get as far from the people, beach chairs, plastic cups and cigarettes that cluttered the shoreline near the hotel. Though it is still a lot of fun for me to partake in the gluttony of all-inclusivity, I wanted something a little more pure that afternoon.

I took my time, observing the environment around me. As I walked down the shore, I didn’t find as much beauty in the grandiose beach, with the flat ocean and distant palm trees — as I did the details in the water. The iconic, turquoise color aside, as the sun set, I was fascinated with the illuminated ripples and waves in the lake-like currents. After a while, I found a small freshwater stream emptying into the ocean, creating even more beautiful shapes & textures as the water sources delicately rode around and on top of one another in the sunset light:

“Caribbean Calm”
[image_frame align=”left” height=”427″ width=”640″ title=”Caribbean Calm” alt=”A small freshwater stream empties into the calm Caribbean sea ocean, creating beautiful shapes & textures as the water sources delicately ride around and on top of one another in the sunset light.”]http://navinsarmaphotography.com/wp-content/gallery/places/carribbean/caribbean_calm_sea.jpg[/image_frame]
A small freshwater stream empties into the calm Caribbean sea, creating beautiful shapes & textures as the water sources delicately ride around and on top of one another in the sunset light.
Canon 5d Mark II, Canon 70-200/F4L @ 144mm, f/16, .6 sec, ISO 50, Tripod

Goes to show (me at least): not all beauty is readily evident. To me, it’s worth it to be patient and calm like the sea I saw that evening. Taking the time to wait, deliberate, and feel can reveal even more meaningful experiences. I try to apply that premise to my everyday life, but especially when exploring or shooting.

Gone is DR, next up… HAWAII! 🙂